Cocoon_FS is a brilliant and bizarre-looking lightweight modular building inspired by marine phytoplankton and pioneered by Pohl Architects[1] in cooperation with PlanktonTech[2]. A high strength to weight ratio, translucent shell, and low material usage make this eye-catching prefab fantastically easy to transport. Click through the slideshow to see what this plankton pavilion is made of!

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The illustrious Cocoon_FS pavilion was constructed from leaf-like panels[4] of fiber-reinforced polymer. Fifteen original base modules were designed and a total of 220 modules were manufactured. Each panel fastens to the next to form a super strong, self-supporting dome. Its translucent shell admits light during the day and illuminates its surroundings at night.

The temporary featherweight structure[5] weighs in at just 1650 pounds and measures under ten feet tall. Both exterior and interior walls carry the same variety of pores, ribs, minute spines, marginal ridges and elevations that characterize the silica cell wall of the slimy brown surface algae that inspired it. Researchers at PlanktonTech[2] used microtechnology to transfer the richly patterned shells of the plankton to a 3D model. Those models were then analyzed and optimized using various computations to unlock biomechanical qualities and repurpose them for architectural design.

Algae is growing in popularity among biofuel enthusiasts[6], food developers, and entrepreneurs[7], but as far as we know, the Cocoon_FS is the first prefab[8] to take its design cues from phytoplankton. The plankton-inspired building made its debut in Germany and will be erected at sites around the world in an effort to draw support, awe, and admiration for PlanktonTech’s ongoing investigation of plankton-based solutions[9].